In case you haven’t heard, last night council approved the community proposal “A Hall for All”. It would never have happened without your support. Thank you to this amazing community. Thank you to council for giving this community an opportunity to demonstrate success. We’re already at work on the future. #ahallforall

It is very disappointing that the meeting moved to defer the decision. Concerns aired during the meeting mostly went unanswered because they were not directed to staff. Information that could have enabled a decision was never discussed. In fact the proposals were barely discussed. Council should make good on its original request for proposals by giving full consideration to their staff’s report and recommendation.

Show your support by attending the meeting. Deputations count. To make a deputation, or make a comment you need to register with the clerk by 4:30 on Wednesday, March 6.

Council carried a new motion to start again

There are no new objectives, simply a motion to start a new RFP process stipulating a P3 or public private partnership. This kind of proposal could have been submitted within the current process. A requirement for a P3 has 3 problems:

The public private partnership is likely to exclude the existing recommended submission from Save Picton Town Hall.

For a public private partnership to be possible the Town Hall will almost certainly be sold.

public private partnerships cost the taxpayers more in the long run. A recent Ontario study verifies this.https://theonn.ca/our-work/our-financing/public-lands-civic-spaces/not-for-sale/?fbclid=IwAR3gQ7i09IxDaRxrWZ0npC9aQx60G3uj8k-Fl2v4FZv7jSpw0r9JKxZt-PU

County staff have recommended our proposal, but we need your support to convince Council to adopt our plan.

Attend Committee meeting Feb 28 at Shire Hall
It’s official: our proposal is on the agenda of the Committee of the Whole on Thursday, February 28 at 1 pm. Councillors will discuss municipal staff’s recommendation of our plan as the “preferred proposal”. A healthy turnout is critical to show Council the breadth of support that exists in the community. Here’s a direct link to the staff report and our proposal: https://princeedwardcounty.civicweb.net/document/167362

Voice your support at Committee and online
This is not a done deal until Council adopts our proposal. Your voice counts. Help demonstrate to Council members that the community wants them to decide in favour of keeping the Picton Town Hall in public hands for the benefit of all:
Address the Committee (claim your 3-min slot via clerks@pecounty.on.ca or on site)
Spread the word and show support on social media using the hashtag #ahallforall.

If we can convince Council to adopt our plan, the future for this outstanding public space looks bright.

With your continued support, we look forward to working with the municipality to make Picton Town Hall the best it can be!

Thursday, February 28 at 1:00 pm is when we expect our proposal to Council to be addressed at the Committee of the Whole, where municipal staff will submit their recommendation. We need your help to demonstrate community support!

Attend Committee meeting

Join us at Shire Hall on Thursday, February 28 at 1:00 pm. We want to show Councillors the breadth of support that exists in the community by having lots of town hall users and supporters come out to the meeting.

Speak at Committee meeting

We need your voice to speak to the importance and value that the hall brings to you/your group and/or why it is important to keep the hall in the community. Anyone wishing to comment may do so for 3 minutes on February 28:

You can email the Clerk’s office at clerks@pecounty.on.ca to let them know you wish to speak.
Or simply attend the meeting and speak up when comments are sought from the audience.

Show your support on social media

Help us create a groundswell of support in social media! Spread the word. Speak out. Share a story, photo or memory about something great that happened at Picton Town Hall. Add this hashtag to your post: #ahallforall.

Watch for updates

The Council meeting agenda and municipal staff recommendation should be posted at this link on Friday, February 22. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that our proposal wins their favour!

Thank you all for your support! Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, February 28 at 1:00 pm at Shire Hall.